Method of manufacturing ring-shaped member and ring-shaped member

ABSTRACT

Provided are a method of manufacturing a ring-shaped member and the ring-shaped member. A method of manufacturing a ring-shaped member to be placed in a process chamber of a substrate processing apparatus includes arranging one silicon member and another silicon member to cause one abutting surface of the one silicon member and another abutting surface of the other silicon member to abut on each other, heating the one abutting surface and the other abutting surface through optical heating to melt silicon on a surface of the one abutting surface and silicon on a surface of the other abutting surface such that silicon melt is caused to flow into a gap between the one abutting surface and the other abutting surface, and cooling the one abutting surface and the other abutting surface to crystallize the silicon melt forming a silicon adhesion part.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a ring-shapedmember, and to the ring-shaped member.

BACKGROUND ART

A dry etching apparatus using plasma is used as substrate processingapparatuses in manufacture of a semiconductor integrated device such asan LSI. The dry etching apparatus includes a cylindrical vacuum chamber.A high-frequency voltage is applied between a cathode of a planarelectrode and a counter electrode (anode) by a high-frequency oscillatorwhile a wafer to be etched is placed on the cathode and etching gas isintroduced into the vacuum chamber, thereby plasma of the etching gas isgenerated between the electrodes. Positive ions as activated gas in theplasma enter a surface of the wafer to etch the wafer.

Various ring-shaped members are used inside the vacuum chamber of thedry etching apparatus. Representative examples of the ring-shaped memberinclude a focus ring that has a doughnut shape surrounding the wafer tobe etched, and an annular ground ring that is disposed so as to cover aside surface of a columnar susceptor base portion on which the wafer isplaced. The representative examples of the ring-shaped member furtherinclude a protection member such as an annular shield ring provided on aperipheral edge part of the counter electrode, and a side wall membercovering an inner wall side surface of the vacuum chamber (PatentLiterature 1).

When there is a metal component inside the vacuum chamber of the dryetching apparatus, metal contamination occurs. Therefore, a siliconcomponent is desirably used. It is necessary for each of the focus ring,the ground ring, and the ring-shaped protection member to have adiameter larger than a diameter of the wafer to be etched. A siliconcomponent for 300 mm wafer, which is mainly in current use, is expensivebecause the silicon component is fabricated from a silicon crystal ingothaving a diameter of 320 mm or more. In particular, some of thering-shaped side wall members have a diameter of 700 mm or more, and itis substantially impossible in some cases to fabricate the ring-shapedside wall member from a silicon crystal ingot.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-251744

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

If the silicon component is manufactured by joining a plurality ofsilicon members not as an integrated component, the silicon component isfabricable from a silicon crystal ingot that has a smaller diameter.Therefore, various advantages such as manufacturing cost reduction areexpected.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method ofmanufacturing a ring-shaped member in which a plurality of siliconmembers are joined, and the ring-shaped member.

Solution to Problem

A method of manufacturing a ring-shaped member according to the presentinvention is a method of manufacturing a ring-shaped member to be placedin a process chamber of a substrate processing apparatus that performsplasma processing on a substrate accommodated in the process chamber,and the method includes: arranging one silicon member and anothersilicon member to cause one abutting surface of the one silicon memberand another abutting surface of the other silicon member to abut on eachother; heating the one abutting surface and the other abutting surfacethrough optical heating by a xenon lamp or a halogen lamp to meltsilicon on a surface of the one abutting surface and silicon on asurface of the other abutting surface such that silicon melt is causedto flow into a gap between the one abutting surface and the otherabutting surface; and cooling the one abutting surface and the otherabutting surface to crystallize the silicon melt forming a siliconadhesion part such that the one silicon member and the other siliconmember are joined to each other with the silicon adhesion part.

A ring-shaped member according to the present invention is a ring-shapedmember to be placed in a process chamber of a substrate processingapparatus that performs plasma processing on a substrate accommodated inthe process chamber, and the ring-shaped member includes a plurality ofsilicon members, and a silicon adhesion part that is provided to fill agap between one abutting surface of one of the silicon members andanother abutting surface of another one of the silicon members, andjoins the one abutting surface and the other abutting surface. Thesilicon adhesion part is made from silicon melt at an end surface of theone silicon member and silicon melt at an end surface of the othersilicon member to come into contact with each other that have flown intothe gap due to capillary phenomenon and have been crystallized, whereinone silicon adhesion part made of monocrystalline silicon taking overcrystallinity of the one abutting surface and another silicon adhesionpart made of monocrystalline silicon taking over crystallinity of theother abutting surface are integrated at atomic level.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture thering-shaped member by combining the plurality of silicon members eachcut out from a silicon crystal ingot that has a size smaller than anouter diameter of the ring-shaped member. Accordingly, for thering-shaped member, it is unnecessary to use the silicon crystal ingotthat has a size larger than the outer diameter of the ring-shapedmember, and thus the cost can be reduced accordingly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating aconfiguration of a dry etching apparatus provided with a focus ring thatis fabricated from a ring-shaped member according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the ring-shaped memberaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an abutting surfaceaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an apparatusthat manufactures the ring-shaped member.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturinga ring-shaped member according to a variation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a silicon adhesion partmanufactured by the manufacturing method according to the variation ofthe first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a ring-shaped member accordingto a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an abutting surfaceaccording to the second embodiment, where FIG. 8A is an abutting surfacein a first ring body, and FIG. 8B is an abutting surface in a secondring body.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a ring-shaped member accordingto a third embodiment, where FIG. 9A illustrates upper surface side, andFIG. 9B illustrates lower surface side.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an abutting surfaceaccording to the third embodiment, where FIG. 10A is a cross-sectionalview, and FIG. 10B is a bottom view.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an embedded silicon member, where FIG.11A illustrates a variation (1), and FIG. 11B illustrates a variation(2).

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Some embodiments of the present invention are described in detail belowwith reference to drawings.

1. First Embodiment

(1) Entire Configuration

A dry etching apparatus 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a vacuumchamber 12 as a process chamber, an upper electrode plate 14, and a base16. The vacuum chamber 12 has a substantially cylindrical shape, andinternally includes a process space 31 surrounded by a cylindrical sidewall. An inner surface of the side wall of the vacuum chamber 12 iscovered with a side wall member 13. An inner surface around the upperelectrode plate 14 on an upper wall of the vacuum chamber 12 is coveredwith an upper wall member 17. The side wall member 13 and the upper wallmember 17 are annular members to protect the inner wall of the vacuumchamber 12 exposed to plasma, and are made of silicon.

A baffle plate 25 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 12 thatpartitions the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 in a height direction. Anexhaust space 26 is provided on a lower part inside the vacuum chamber12 partitioned by the baffle plate 25, and the process space 31 isprovided on an upper part inside the vacuum chamber 12. The baffle plate25 is a protection member to prevent backflow of etching gas, and ismade of silicon. The baffle plate 25 includes an annular main body, andincludes flow passages 27 that penetrate through the main body in athickness direction. As illustrated in the figure, the baffle plate 25is provided at a substantially center in the height direction inside thevacuum chamber 12.

The upper electrode plate 14 is a disc-like member, and is fixed to theupper part inside the vacuum chamber 12. A peripheral edge part of theupper electrode plate 14 is covered with a protection ring 20. A shieldring 21 made of quartz is provided between the upper electrode plate 14and the protection ring 20. The protection ring 20 is a member toprotect the inner wall of the vacuum chamber 12 from the plasmagenerated near the upper electrode plate 14, and is made of silicon. Theprotection ring 20 is grounded in some cases. In the figure, a surfaceof the protection ring 20 on the inside of the vacuum chamber 12protrudes from the shield ring 21, and has the same height as the heightof the upper wall member 17. The upper electrode plate 14 includes aplurality of through holes 15 penetrating through the upper electrodeplate 14 in a thickness direction. The upper electrode plate 14 iselectrically connected with an unillustrated high-frequency powersupply. The upper electrode plate 14 is connected with a gas supply pipe24.

The etching gas supplied through the gas supply pipe 24 flows into thevacuum chamber 12 from the through holes 15 of the upper electrode plate14. The etching gas flowed into the vacuum chamber 12 flows into theexhaust space 26 through the flow passages 27, and is exhausted tooutside from an exhaust port 28.

The base 16 is disposed inside the process space 31 on the upper side ofthe baffle plate 25 inside the vacuum chamber 12, and is surrounded by aground ring 30. The ground ring 30 is made of silicon and is grounded. Afocus ring 18 is provided on the base 16. The focus ring 18 is made ofsilicon, and a concave part 19 supporting a peripheral edge of a wafer22 is provided over an entire inner circumference. A power supply thatapplies a voltage to stabilize the plasma during the etching iselectrically connected to the focus ring. A cover ring 23 that protectsa side surface of the focus ring 18 may be provided around the focusring 18. The cover ring 23 is made of quartz, and a concave part 33supporting a peripheral edge of the focus ring 18 is provided over anentire inner circumference.

The dry etching apparatus 10 is supplied with the etching gas throughthe upper electrode plate 14. When the high-frequency voltage is appliedfrom the high-frequency power supply, the plasma is generated betweenthe upper electrode plate 14 and the wafer 22. The surface of the wafer22 is etched by this plasma.

The ring-shaped member according to the present embodiment is applicableto the focus ring 18, the protection ring 20, the ground ring 30, theside wall member 13, the upper wall member 17, and the baffle plate 25described above that are silicon components. The ring-shaped member isnot limited to the above-described silicon components. The ring-shapedmember is applicable to an electrode ring as a silicon component that isplaced inside the vacuum chamber 12 of the dry etching apparatus 10 andis supplied with the voltage or is grounded, or a protection member ringthat is a silicon component other than the above. The ring-shaped membermay have an internal diameter of about 290 mm or more, and an outerdiameter of about 800 mm or less.

As an example, the ring-shaped member according to the presentembodiment that serves as the member for the focus ring 18 is describedbelow. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a ring-shaped member 32 includes aplurality of (three in the figure) first silicon members 34, 36, and 38.Note that, in the following description, the plurality of first siliconmembers 34, 36, and 38 are collectively referred to as silicon membersin a case where the plurality of first silicon members 34, 36, and 38are not particularly distinguished from one another. The silicon memberseach have an arc shape, and are integrated in a ring shape by beingjoined in one direction through silicon adhesion parts (not illustratedin the figure) at abutting surfaces 37 that are end surfaces in alongitudinal direction. The silicon members each may be monocrystallinesilicon or polycrystalline silicon. A manufacturing method, purity,crystal orientation, etc. thereof are not limited. A size of each of thesilicon members is not particularly limited, and for example, each ofthe silicon members may have a thickness of about 1 mm or more and about100 mm or less, and a width of about 10 mm or more and about 100 mm orless.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a silicon adhesion part 39A is providedbetween the abutting surfaces 37 of the silicon members. FIG. 3illustrates the abutting surfaces 37 of the first silicon members 34 and36.

In a case where the silicon members each contain monocrystallinesilicon, the monocrystalline silicon that takes over crystallinity ofthe end surfaces of the silicon members contacted at the abuttingsurfaces 37 is integrated in the silicon adhesion part 39A. In thefigure, in the silicon adhesion part 39A, one silicon adhesion part thatis made of monocrystalline silicon taking over the crystallinity of theend surface of the silicon member 34 and the other silicon adhesion partthat is made of monocrystalline silicon taking over the crystallinity ofthe end surface of the silicon member 36 are integrated. In other words,crystal orientation of the one silicon adhesion part is the same ascrystal orientation at the end surface of the silicon member 34, andcrystal orientation of the other silicon adhesion part is the same ascrystal orientation at the end surface of the silicon member 36.

(2) Manufacturing Method

Next, a method of manufacturing the ring-shaped member 32 is described.First, surface treatment is performed on the silicon members. Morespecifically, surfaces of the silicon members are treated by grinding,polishing, or the like, to preferably form mirror surfaces. The surfacesof the silicon members may be etched by mixed solution of hydrofluoricacid and nitric acid. As the mixed solution, chemical polishing solution(hydrofluoric acid (49%):nitric acid (70%):acetic acid (100%)=3:5:3)standardized as JIS H 0609 may be used.

Subsequently, the three first silicon members 34, 36, and 38 arearranged in the ring shape. The silicon adhesion parts 39A at theabutting surfaces 37 of the first silicon members 34, 36, and 38 areformed by heating and melting silicon near each of the abutting surfaces37. A gap between the abutting surfaces in the first silicon members 34,36, and 38 that are arranged in the ring shape is preferably 0 mm to 1mm. A volume of the silicon is reduced when melted. For example, if thegap between the first silicon members 34 and 36 exceeds 1 mm, siliconmelt at the end surface of the first silicon member 34 and silicon meltat the end surface of the first silicon member 36 do not come intocontact with each other. Accordingly, a silicon adhesion part at the endsurface of the first silicon member 34 and a silicon adhesion part atthe end surface of the first silicon member 36 are not integrallyjoined.

In a case where the gap is equal to or lower than 1 mm, the silicon meltat the end surface of the first silicon member 34 and the silicon meltat the end surface of the first silicon member 36 come into contact witheach other due to surface tension, and the silicon melt at the endsurface of the first silicon member 34 and the silicon melt at the endsurface of the first silicon member 36 flow into the gap due tocapillary phenomenon. As a result, the silicon adhesion part at the endsurface of the first silicon member 34 and the silicon adhesion part atthe end surface of the first silicon member 36 are integrally joined atatomic level.

The heating can be performed through optical heating. In the opticalheating, positions to be heated can easily be shifted, and a heatingamount can easily be changed according to the supplied power. Forexample, various kinds of lamps and lasers are used for the opticalheating.

In the present embodiment, an apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4 is usable.The apparatus illustrated in the figure includes at least one lamp 42and at least one elliptical mirror 44 serving as a light condensingportion that condenses light emitted from the lamp 42. As the lamp 42, axenon lamp or a halogen lamp that is commonly used in an infraredcrystal growth apparatus is usable. An output of the lamp is preferablyabout 1 kW to about 30 kW. As the laser, an infrared laser having awavelength of 780 nm to 1600 nm is usable. Further, in terms of handlingeasiness and a lifetime of a light source, a package-type light sourcethat is obtained by modularizing a plurality of semiconductor lasers andhas a wavelength of 780 nm to 980 nm and an output of about 200W toabout 400W is preferably used.

The heating may be performed in an oblique direction without beinglimited to a direction perpendicular to the silicon members as long asthe heating is performed from an outside of the abutting surfaces 37.

A light condensed region normally has a diameter of about 10 mm to about30 mm. The diameter of the light condensed region is increased to about30 mm to about 100 mm when a light emission position of the lamp 42 isout of position from a focal point of the elliptical mirror 44. Thelight condensed region thus expanded makes it possible to expand aheated range. The light condensed region is preferably be moved to scanthe entire region of the upper surface of the ring-shaped member 32corresponding to the abutting surfaces 37, to effect heating.

First, the lamp position is adjusted such that one focal position of theelliptical mirror 44 and a position of a light emission portion of thelamp 42 are coincident with each other, and heights of the uppersurfaces of the silicon members are adjusted to the other focal positionof the elliptical mirror 44. This adjusts a spread of the ellipticalmirror 44 at an irradiation position to about 3 mm. In this state, theelliptical mirror 44 is aligned to the position of the abutting surfaces37 and the power of the lamp 42 is increased. Once the heating isstarted, the upper surfaces of the abutting surfaces 37 are melted togenerate the silicon melt. More specifically, the upper surfaces startto melt at 60% of lamp rating (surface temperature is estimated to be1420° C.). At 90% of the lamp rating, silicon at the abutting surfaces37 is melted and the silicon melt flows into the gap between theabutting surfaces 37 due to capillary phenomenon, to plug a part of thegap between the abutting surfaces 37. In this state, the ellipticalmirror 44 is moved to scan along the abutting surfaces 37 at a constantspeed, for example, at a speed of 5 mm/minute. As a result, the gapbetween the abutting surfaces 37 is filled with the silicon melt and isplugged. The elliptical mirror 44 is moved to scan outer edges of theabutting surfaces 37 on the upper surface side of the ring-shaped member32, to effect heating. In addition, the abutting surfaces 37 on thelower surface side of the ring-shaped member may be heated in a similarmanner.

Next, the melted upper surfaces of the abutting surfaces 37 are cooledto crystallize the silicon melt according to crystallinity of thesilicon members. More specifically, the power of the lamp 42 is reduced,in two minutes, to 60% of the lamp rating at which the silicon meltstarts to be solidified, and the state is maintained for five minutes.The surface temperature at this time is 1400° C. to 1415° C. The siliconmelt becomes the silicon adhesion part 39A that takes over thecrystallinity of the end surfaces of the silicon members contacted atthe abutting surfaces 37. In the case where the silicon members eachcontain monocrystalline silicon, in the silicon adhesion part 39A, theone silicon adhesion part that is made of monocrystalline silicon takingover the crystallinity of the end surface of the one silicon member andthe other silicon adhesion part that is made of monocrystalline silicontaking over the crystallinity of the end surface of the other siliconmember are integrated.

The silicon adhesion part 39A is similarly formed at all of the abuttingsurfaces 37 by the above-described procedure, which makes it possible tojoin the first silicon members 34, 36, and 38 to form the ring-shapedmember 32.

The ring-shaped member 32 obtained in the above-described manner mayserve as the focus ring 18 by being provided with a concave part overthe entire inner circumference by machining.

The ring-shaped member 32 is manufacturable by combining three or moresilicon members that are each cut out from a silicon crystal ingot forwafer having a size smaller than the outer diameter of the siliconcomponent. Accordingly, it is unnecessary for the ring-shaped member 32to use the silicon crystal ingot for wafer that has a size larger thanthe outer diameter of the silicon component, which allows for reductionof the cost.

In the ring-shaped member 32 according to the present embodiment, theabutting surfaces 37 are joined by the silicon adhesion part 39A. Evenif the ring-shaped member 32 is irradiated with plasma inside the vacuumchamber 12, the inside of the vacuum chamber 12 is not contaminated.

(3) Variation

In the present embodiment, the case where silicon at the end surfacescontacted at the abutting surfaces 37 is melted to form the siliconadhesion part 39A has been described; however, the present invention isnot limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 5, a monocrystalline orpolycrystalline silicon piece 40 may be placed on the abutting surfaces,and the silicon piece 40 may be melted to form a silicon adhesion part39B. In a case where the silicon piece 40 is not used, silicon on theupper surface side of the abutting surfaces 37 is melted and flows intothe gap between the abutting surfaces 37, which may cause a recess onthe upper surface side of the abutting surfaces 37. Forming the siliconadhesion part 39B with use of the silicon piece 40 makes it possible toprevent upper surfaces 55 of the abutting surfaces 37 from beingrecessed after the silicon adhesion part 39B is formed (FIG. 6). Thesilicon piece 40 preferably has the same volume as the volume of the gapbetween the abutting surface 37.

2. Second Embodiment

Next, a ring-shaped member according to a second embodiment isdescribed. Note that components similar to those in the above-describedfirst embodiment are denoted by similar reference numerals, anddescription of such components is omitted. A ring-shaped member 46illustrated in FIG. 7 includes a first ring body 35 and a second ringbody 47. The first ring body 35 illustrated in the figure includes firstsilicon members 41, 43, and 45, and has a width smaller than the widthof the ring-shaped member 32 in the above-described first embodiment, asa difference. The second ring body 47 includes a plurality of (three inthe figure) second silicon members 48, 50, and 52. The second siliconmember 48, 50, and 52 are the same as the first silicon members 41, 43,and 45 even though the reference numerals are changed for convenience ofdescription. The first ring body 35 and the second ring body 47 arecoaxially superposed through a joining surface 54 while abuttingsurfaces 49 of the silicon members of the first ring body are out ofposition in a circumferential direction from abutting surfaces 49 of thesilicon members of the second ring body 47.

FIG. 8A illustrates the abutting surfaces 49 the first silicon members41 and 43, and FIG. 8B illustrates the abutting surfaces 49 of thesecond silicon members 48 and 52. An arrow direction in the figuresindicates an outside direction in a radial direction of the ring-shapedmember 46.

A first silicon adhesion part 51 is formed between the abutting surfaces49 of the first silicon members 41 and 43 (FIG. 8A). A second siliconadhesion part 53 is formed on the joining surface 54 between the firstring body 35 and the second ring body 47. No first silicon adhesion partis provided between the abutting surfaces 49 between the second siliconmembers 48 and 52 (FIG. 8B).

The first silicon adhesion part 51 plugs each of gaps of the abuttingsurfaces 49 of the first silicon members 41, 43, and 45, and a gap atthe joining surface 54 between the first ring body 35 and the secondring body 47 in this manner.

Next, a method of manufacturing the ring-shaped member 46 according tothe present embodiment is described. Note that description of processessimilar to those in the above-described first embodiment is omitted ifnot necessary. The three second silicon members 48, 50, and 52 subjectedto the surface treatment are first arranged in a ring shape. Next, thethree first silicon members 41, 43, and 45 are placed on upper surfacesof the second silicon members 48, 50, and 52. The first silicon members41, 43, and 45 are disposed so as to be out of position, by half of alength in a longitudinal direction, from the second silicon members 48,50, and 52 that have been already disposed. A state where the firstsilicon members 41, 43, and 45 are stacked on the second silicon members48, 50, and 52 is established in the above-described manner.

Next, heating is performed from the first silicon members 34, 36, and 38side, to generate silicon melt in the gaps of the abutting surfaces 49of the first silicon members 41, 43, and 45, thereby forming the firstsilicon adhesion parts 51. A heating condition and a cooling conditionmay be set similarly to the above-described first embodiment.

Subsequently, silicon at the joining surface 54 between the first ringbody 35 and the second ring body 47 is heated and melted. The meltedsilicon flows into the gap at the joining surface 54 in a horizontaldirection due to capillary phenomenon, to form the second siliconadhesion part 53.

In the ring-shaped member 46 according to the present embodiment, theabutting surfaces 49 are joined by the first silicon adhesion parts 51,and the joining surface 54 is joined by the second silicon adhesion part53. This makes it possible to achieve effects similar to those by theabove-described first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the case where the silicon of the endsurfaces contacted at the abutting surfaces 49 is melted to form thefirst silicon adhesion part 51 has been described; however, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 5 describedabove, the silicon piece 40 may be placed on the abutting surfaces, andthe silicon piece 40 may be melted to form the first silicon adhesionpart.

In the present embodiment, the case where the width of the ring-shapedmember is smaller than the width of the ring-shaped member 32 accordingto the above-described first embodiment has been described; however, thepresent invention is not limited thereto. The width of the ring-shapedmember may be appropriately selected as long as the first ring body andthe second ring body are joined at the joining surface with sufficientmechanical strength.

The case where the first silicon adhesion part is not provided betweenthe abutting surfaces 49 of the second silicon members 48 and 52 hasbeen described; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.The first silicon adhesion part may be provided between the abuttingsurfaces 49 of the second silicon members 48 and 52.

3. Third Embodiment

Next, a ring-shaped member according to a third embodiment is described.A ring-shaped member 56 illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B includes aplurality of (three in the figures) first silicon members 58, 60, and62, and a plurality of (three) embedded silicon members 64A that areembedded at positions across two of the first silicon members 58, 60,and 62. The embedded silicon members 64A are provided on side oppositeto side of the ring-shaped member 56 irradiated with plasma, that is,lower surface side in the figure.

The embedded silicon members 64A are preferably made of the samematerial as the silicon members. Four corners of each of the embeddedsilicon members 64A are preferably processed to be round. The fourcorners of each of the embedded silicon members 64A are processed to beround. This can help preventing damage such as chipping. The cornerradius of each of the corners is preferably 3 mm or more.

Each of the embedded silicon members 64A is preferably formed such thata height of a lower surface is equal to a height of the lower surface ofeach of the silicon members. A thickness of each of the embedded siliconmembers 64A is preferably 20% to 80% of the thickness of each of thesilicon members, and is more preferably 40% to 60% of the thickness ofeach of the silicon members.

Each of the embedded silicon members 64A is preferably made of arectangular plate member, and preferably has a size not protruding fromthe ring-shaped member 56 in a planar view. A length of each of theembedded silicon members 64A in a longitudinal direction is preferably2% to 10% of an outer peripheral length of the ring-shaped member 56.

More specifically, the size of each of the silicon members may be a sizethat is obtained by dividing, into three pieces, a ring having an innerperipheral diameter of 340 mm, an outer peripheral diameter of 420 mm,and a thickness of 4 mm. Each of the embedded silicon members 64A mayhave 5 mm-rounded four corners, and have a length of 60 mm, a width of25 mm, and a thickness of 2 mm. Holes formed on the lower surfaces ofthe silicon members each have a shape corresponding to a shape of asmall piece of silicon, and has a depth of 2 mm. In this case, thethickness of each of the embedded silicon members 64A is 50% of thethickness of each of the silicon members, and the length of each of theembedded silicon members 64A in the longitudinal direction is 5% of theouter peripheral length of the ring-shaped member 56.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, holes each including a bottomsurface are provided at end parts in the longitudinal direction on thelower surfaces of the silicon members. FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrateabutting surfaces 63A of the first silicon members 58 and 60. Theembedded silicon members 64A are respectively embedded in the holes. Afirst silicon adhesion part 68 is provided in each of gaps of theabutting surfaces 63A of the first silicon members 58, 60, and 62. Asecond silicon adhesion part 70 is provided between a peripheral edge ofeach of the embedded silicon members 64A and a corresponding hole innersurface of the first silicon members 58, 60, and 62.

The first silicon adhesion part 68 between the abutting surfacesaccording to the present embodiment is formed in a manner similar to theabove-described first embodiment. The second silicon adhesion part 70 isformed by heating, in a manner similar to the above-described firstembodiment, silicon on the peripheral edge of each of the embeddedsilicon members 64A and silicon near the hole inner surface of each ofthe first silicon members 58, 60, and 62 from the lower surface side ofthe silicon members, to generate silicon melt.

In the ring-shaped member 56 according to the present embodiment,providing the embedded silicon members 64A makes it possible to increasea joining area between the silicon members. This makes it possible tomore increase mechanical strength. Further, in the ring-shaped member56, the abutting surfaces 63A are joined by the first silicon adhesionpart 68. This makes it possible to achieve effects similar to theeffects by the above-described first embodiment.

Each of the embedded silicon members 64A does not necessarily have arectangular shape. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B, anembedded silicon member 64B having an oval shape (FIG. 11A), or anembedded silicon member 64C having an arc shape (FIG. 11B) may be used.Further, end parts of each of the embedded silicon members 64B and 64Cin the longitudinal direction may be each formed in a semicircular shapeas illustrated in the figures.

In the present embodiment, the case where silicon of the end surfacescontacted at the abutting surfaces 63A is melted to form the firstsilicon adhesion part 68 has been described; however, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the siliconpiece 40 may be placed on the abutting surfaces, and the silicon piece40 may be melted to form the first silicon adhesion part.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

12 Vacuum chamber (process chamber)

22 Wafer (substrate)

32 Ring-shaped member

34, 36, 38 First silicon member (silicon member)

37 Abutting surface

39A, 39B Silicon adhesion part

41, 43, 45 First silicon member (silicon member)

48, 50, 52 Second silicon member (silicon member)

49 Abutting surface

51 First silicon adhesion part (silicon adhesion part)

53 Second silicon adhesion part (silicon adhesion part)

58, 60, 62 First silicon member (silicon member)

63A Abutting surface

64A, 64B, 64C Embedded silicon member

68 First silicon adhesion part (silicon adhesion part)

70 Second silicon adhesion part (silicon adhesion part)

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a ring-shapedmember to be placed in a process chamber of a substrate processingapparatus that performs plasma processing on a substrate accommodated inthe process chamber, the method comprising: arranging one silicon memberand another silicon member to cause one abutting surface of the onesilicon member and another abutting surface of the other silicon memberto abut on each other; heating the one abutting surface and the otherabutting surface through optical heating by a xenon lamp or a halogenlamp to melt silicon on a surface of the one abutting surface andsilicon on a surface of the other abutting surface such that siliconmelt is caused to flow into a gap between the one abutting surface andthe other abutting surface; and cooling the one abutting surface and theother abutting surface to crystallize the silicon melt forming a siliconadhesion part such that the one silicon member and the other siliconmember are joined to each other with the silicon adhesion part.
 2. Amethod of manufacturing a ring-shaped member to be placed in a processchamber of a substrate processing apparatus that performs plasmaprocessing on a substrate accommodated in the process chamber, themethod comprising: arranging one silicon member and another siliconmember to cause one abutting surface of the one silicon member andanother abutting surface of the other silicon member to abut on eachother through a gap; heating the one abutting surface and the otherabutting surface through optical heating to melt silicon on a surface ofthe one abutting surface and silicon on a surface of the other abuttingsurface to come into contact with each other such that silicon melt iscaused to flow into the gap between the one abutting surface and theother abutting surface by capillary phenomenon; and cooling the oneabutting surface and the other abutting surface to crystallize thesilicon melt forming a silicon adhesion part such that the one siliconmember and the other silicon member are joined to each other with thesilicon adhesion part.
 3. The method of manufacturing the ring-shapedmember according to claim 2, wherein the optical heating is performed bya xenon lamp or a halogen lamp.